Say The Magic Words
by Lady Eleanor Boleyn
Summary: There are so many words with so many meanings. What do they mean for our favourite characters? Drabble Collection.
1. Profluent

**So. Because I'm bored and I want to try my hand at a Drabble Collection like Gamma's, I've signed up to Dictionary dot com and I'm going to try and write a 100 word drabble about every Word Of The Day that they email me. Enjoy!**

_Profluent - flowing smoothly or abundantly forth._

Whenever anyone asked about Narcissa's blonde hair and blue eyes; the orbs of the Rosiers, Druella waved a hand and laughed, "She gets it from me and I'm glad of it. Merlin knows it's nice not to be the only blonde in the family. Maybe she'll grow up to be the first Black with some ice in her, rather than fire."

Oh yes, Druella knew what to say to people who seemed to question her youngest daughter's paternity. None who didn't know would have guessed that lies fell from her lips almost constantly.


	2. Appertain

_Appertain - To belong as a part, right, possession or attribute_.

Hermione had always been a special girl. So special that sometimes she felt that she didn't belong in her own world.

Which was why she'd seized her chance when she'd heard about Magic. She'd begged her parents to let her go to Hogwarts. She'd begged them to buy her as many books about her new world as they could.

They'd been reluctant at first, but Professor McGonagall had convinced them. She'd smiled at Hermione's thirst for knowledge and convinced them.

Hermione never told anyone how wonderful that smile had been. But it had been wonderful. It had made her feel as though she belonged.


	3. Rutilant

_Rutilant - Glowing or glittering with ruddy or golden light._

Ginny was proud of being a Weasley. Really. She was.

It was just a shame that no-one ever saw her as anything else. To everyone, even her own mother, she was just another Weasley. Another Weasley with too many freckles, too little money and a cascade of fiery red hair.

Until the year she turned 16. That was the year Harry finally noticed her. That was the year she realised that she didn't have to be just another Weasley. With Harry, Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, at her side, she could be anything she wanted. Anything.

Even, eventually, Mrs Ginny Potter.


	4. Pococurante

_Pococurante - 1. __Caring little; indifferent; nonchalant. 2. A careless or indifferent person._

Bella's mother had always despaired of her as a careless hoyden. But Bella knew better. She knew she was capable of caring. Her love for her sisters proved that. It was just that whatever she cared for had to be worthy; worthy of her care; worthy of her.

When she was little, the Black family; its members, honour and prestige, was the only thing that met her exacting standards.

But then she heard of the Dark Lord. Heard of his mission to rid the Wizarding World of filth.

With a jolt, she realised it was time to deem another worthy.


	5. Furcate

_Furcate - 1. To form a fork; branch. 2. Forked; branching._

Harry stood in front of the holly bush, staring absently at a forked branch that had somehow been stripped bare.

The different parts of the branch seemed to represent the two paths he could take. One, to find every single one of Voldemort's horcruxes and destroy them, before killing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself. The dangerous path. The path a Gryffindor would take.

Two, to find and master the Deathly Hallows, so that he, Harry, would have conquered Death itself. It was the path of a Slytherin, he knew. Harry stared at the bush while, inside him, the two Houses battled for supremacy.


	6. Esculent

_Esculent - 1. Something edible, especially a vegetable. 2. Suitable for use as food; edible._

When people thought of a culinary expert, they usually thought of Molly Weasley. After all, with six boys in the house, tables groaning with delicious cooking were her specialty. No one ever thought of Luna Lovegood.

Yet Luna was cleverer than most people gave her credit for. Especially when it came to food. Roaming the moors looking for strange creatures, either alone or with her father, had taught her something.

The House Elves at Hogwarts taught her too; both how to cook and the fact that food could lead to having friends.

Yes, Luna was most definitely a food expert.


	7. Antipode

_Antipode - A direct or exact opposite._

They were complete opposites. One was dark, fanatically proud and the Wizarding World's most wanted woman. The other was fair-haired, fair-skinned and fair-minded; sister in law to Harry Potter's best friend. If anyone had known of their illicit meetings, no one would have known what had driven them together.

Nor did they. But driven they were. They never missed an assignation. Never. They would have rather died.

Some would have said they were mad. Others that they enjoyed the thrill of courting danger. But Bellatrix Lestrange _nee _Black and Fleur Weasley _nee_ Delacour preferred to think of themselves as special.


	8. Remit

_Remit - 1. To slacken or relax. 2. To transmit money, a check, etc., as in payment. 3. To abate for a time or at intervals, as a fever. 4. To refrain from exacting, as a payment or service. 5. To pardon or forgive a sin, offense, etc._

Sometimes, when he watched his brother and his wife – _her sister_ –together, he thought of going to find her. He thought of seeing her again; playing on her childhood memories; begging her to come back and marry him, as she ought to have done.

The Black Princesses. The Lestrange heirs. It would have been the greatest, most glittering match in the whole of Wizarding Britain. It had been planned right from the first days of their babyhood. But she had ruined it. She had run away.

The Blacks could never forgive her.

Their callousness doomed Rabastan to live alone. Forever.


	9. Astringent

_Astringent:_

_Sharply incisive; pungent. 2. Medicine/Medical. Contracting; constrictive; styptic .3. Harshly biting; caustic: his astringent criticism. 4. Stern or severe; austere._

_1. Medicine/Medical. A substance that contracts the tissues or canals of the body, thereby diminishing discharges, as of mucus or blood. 2. A cosmetic that cleans the skin and constricts the pores._

Poppy Pomfrey had always thought that Minerva McGonagall would have made a good nurse. She didn't have much natural charm or bedside manner, true, but underneath her acidic tongue lay a heart of gold. She would have done anything in her power to help a student who needed it. Particularly one of her precious Gryffindors.

The one time she brought it up, Minerva had scoffed at her; told her not to be silly. "Me? A Healer? I wouldn't have had the patience."

But Poppy wasn't so sure. For the sake of their friendship, however, she kept her suspicions to herself.


	10. Dowager

_Dowager - 1. An elderly woman of stately dignity, especially one of elevated social position.2. A woman who holds some title or property from her deceased husband, especially the widow of a king, duke, etc. 3. Noting, pertaining to, or characteristic of a dowager:_

Lily was terrified the day James took her home. She worried that Dowager Lady Potter would think she was intruding on the family grief. James's father had died only a week earlier.

It was why they were going home. James was Lord Potter now, and he had to put in an appearance at the funeral. Preferably with his future Lady on his arm. Lily worried that she wouldn't be good enough.

But then she realised what people meant by a true Lady. Martha Potter greeted her kindly, as though they were equals. Lily couldn't wait to become her daughter in law.


	11. Inquitous

_Iniquitous - Characterized by injustice or wickedness; wicked; sinful_

People were astounded when Harry Potter stood up for Draco Malfoy at his trial after the Second Wizarding War. After all, the boys had been bitter enemies at Hogwarts. Harry had been the Golden Boy –Who-Lived, the Chosen One. Draco had been the arrogant Pureblood Heir; the Dark Lord's youngest-ever Death Eater. How could Harry defend him?

But Harry did, because he knew Dumbledore would want him to. He knew that Draco had been nothing but a scared little boy, forced to be in over his head. He knew that to do anything else would be a perversion of Justice.


	12. Gasser

_Gasser - 1. Something that is extraordinarily pleasing or successful, especially a very funny joke. 2. A person or thing that gasses._

Neville Longbottom had never thought of himself as particularly clever or successful. He'd been late performing his first magic; he was consistently bottom of the class; he'd never been good enough to live up to his Grandmother's expectations.

But, when Dumbledore gave him what were very nearly his first ever points for Gryffindor, he won them the House Cup.

There was a moment of silence and then everyone around him screamed with joy. They leapt on him, hugging him as hard as they could even as they deafened him.

In that instant, Neville knew what it was to be successful.


	13. Selcouth

_Selcouth - Strange; uncommon_.

Percy had always been the odd one out in his family. He wasn't as mischievous and fun-loving as the twins; he wasn't as animal-mad as Charlie; he didn't like Quidditch the way Ron or Ginny did.

He'd always thought he was strange; too strange to ever fit in.

So when his Prefect badge came through the post and he walked into the Prefect Carriage for the first time and saw **her **smiling at him, as though he was just any other ordinary boy, it was a shock. A pleasant shock.

That was the moment Percy fell for Penelope Clearwater.


	14. Brisance

_Brisance - The shattering effect of a high explosive_

Draco stood helplessly, watching Potter and his friends, the precious diadem clutched close to their chests, weave away from him through the piles of rubbish. He was exhausted; he couldn't give chase. But he daren't lose his prize now.

"Do something!" he shrieked.

To his delight, Crabbe waved his wand. A second later, giant roaring flames leaped high, devouring the heaps of objects around them. Draco smirked. Let Potter outrun that.

Suddenly, the fire twisted. It went round behind them.

Draco found a strength he hadn't known he had.

"Run!" he screamed, lunging forward, desperate to save his own skin.


	15. Carp

_Carp - To find fault or complain querulously or unreasonably._

Tempers frayed whenever Sirius was in his mother's presence for too long. She was always on at him, trying to turn him into the perfect Pureblood heir, a dutiful son, her mannequin.

But one night, she went too far. He'd just had enough.

"Why can't you be more like your brother? Now he's a true Black."

"Because I don't want to be him! I don't want to be a Black! I never asked to be born into this family! I – don't – want – to – be – a – Black!"

With that, Sirius was gone, slamming the door behind him. He never went back.


	16. Vernal

**For ElizabethAnneSoph, who kept begging me to do Tonks.**

_Vernal - 1. Appearing or occurring in spring. 2. Of or pertaining to spring. 3. Appropriate to or suggesting spring; springlike. 4. Belonging to or characteristic of youth._

Ted and Andromeda could always tell the seasons by the colour of their daughter's hair. If Nymphadora, or Dora, as she preferred to be called, came downstairs with her natural mousy-brown hair, then it was Autumn.

When winter came, she went snow-white, or else the palest of blondes.

_(A blonde that could always make her mother cry)_

For summer, she preferred cornflower blue, or else ruby red. Anything strong or bright or vibrant. Just like the heat of the sun's rays.

And if she came downstairs boasting jade green or Hufflepuff yellow hair, then Spring had well and truly arrived.


	17. Conniption

_Conniption - A fit of hysterical excitement or anger._

"I'll not go back! Balthazar, I'll not go back!" Young Helena Ravenclaw tossed her head defiantly, letting the spring sunlight dapple her luxurious curls.

The movement was enough. His choler rose up in him like bile.

"Yes you will, you ungrateful brat! You broke your mother's heart and now she's dying. The least you can do is go back to receive her blessing!"

"Never!" Helena screamed.

He couldn't help himself. He lunged forward, making a grab for her. But he'd forgotten his sword. Dislodged from its' sheath by his movement, it glinted dangerously, then swung forward.

It found her heart.


	18. Moschate

_Moschate - Having a musky smell_

Carolina Annabella Zabini was a murderess. Everyone knew that. Or, if they didn't know, they suspected. Too many of her husbands had died for them not to suspect.

But what no-one knew was that, as she killed them, as she sat serenely opposite them and watched them choke on the poison that laced their last meal, she always made sure to wear musk perfume.

It had been her beloved Blaise's favourite perfume. He'd loved it whenever she wore musk. Wearing it as his unworthy successors died, screaming and cursing; cursing her name, was just her way of honouring his memory.


	19. Ruck

_Ruck - 1. A large number or quantity; mass. 2. The great mass of undistinguished or inferior persons or things._

Katie heard the chanting before she saw them. The crowd. The screaming, heaving mass of cheering Gryffindors.

She looked around at the rest of the team; at her best friends, Alicia and Angelina, at Harry, who looked so pale she worried he might faint, at Fred and George, who were sporting their trademark cheeky smiles. At Oliver, the captain she had both loved and been proud to serve ever since her Second Year.

"Ready?"

They nodded. Katie shouldered her broom and the seven of them fell into step, marching out on to the pitch, determined to do their House proud.


	20. Adroit

_Adroit - 1. Cleverly skilful, resourceful, or ingenious. 2. Expert or nimble in the use of the hands or body._

Narcissa loved it when Lucius brushed her hair. It was all the more special because he did it so rarely; her birthday, Christmas; any night when he had hopes of conceiving an heir.

He would come into their room, dismiss Skippy, her Elf, and take over the ritual 200 strokes. The steadiness of his rhythm and the lightness of his touch was enough to make her almost delirious with bliss.

And when he had finished and her hair was gleaming like spun gold, Narcissa would yield to him; let him carry her to their bed and prepare to be suitably rewarded.


	21. Catechise

AN: This is far too long, being more like 110 words, but I need every one of them. :P

_Catechise - 1. To question closely. 2. To instruct orally by means of questions and answers, especially in Christian doctrine. 3. To question with reference to belief._

"Who are you?" Walburga shook her fourteen year old son viciously. She wouldn't lose another son to misguided beliefs. She **wouldn't.**

"Regulus Arcturus Black!" Regulus managed.

"To whom do you belong?"

"The Most Ancient and Most Noble House Of Black!

"What is the family motto?"

"Toujours Pur!"

"How do you stand in relation to it?"

"I would die to uphold it!

On and on it went, the questioning, the relentless questioning. Regulus stammered out the same answers over and over, until his mother was satisfied.

_(And if he had his doubts about the validity of his answers, he kept those to himself. The Blacks couldn't afford to lose another heir.)_


	22. Tellurian

_Tellurian - 1. Of or characteristic of the earth or its inhabitants 2. An inhabitant of the earth._

Minerva McGonagall had always been down-to-earth. Unlike many of her students, or even her fellow Staff Members, she had never been given to flights of fancy. She didn't see the point in imagining what might be or what might have been.

Some people thought that strange for a Transfiguration teacher, who spent her days teaching children to alter the world around them, but she had her reasons. You couldn't change the past, so why dwell on it?

Oh yes, Minerva McGonagall was very much a woman of the moment; a woman of this earth. She was very much a tellurian.


	23. Chelonian

_Chelonian - 1. Belonging or pertaining to the order Chelonia, comprising the turtles. 2. A turtle._

Hagrid was famous for loving animals, especially large, dangerous ones. If anyone had been asked, they might have said that dragons were his favourite animal, or maybe Thestrals. But they'd be wrong. They weren't.

Nor was the friendly giant squid that lazed around in the waters of the Lake and frolicked with the students on balmy summer days. Another water creature was, though.

Hagrid loved the giant fresh-water turtles that lurked in the murkiest and deepest waters. The ones that had a shell broad enough and strong enough to bear even his weight. He loved riding on their colossal backs.


	24. Luxate

_Luxate - To put out of joint; dislocate._

Oliver Wood had always prided himself on being a good flyer. After all, he had been Gryffindor's Keeper since he was thirteen years old. And he, out of all the Quidditch players in his Year at Hogwarts, had been the one that Puddlesmere United had taken on to their Reserves Team.

So to find himself hurtling earthwards after an attempted save had gone horribly wrong was rather injuring to his pride. But there was nothing to be done now. He just had time to think, _"I'm going to break something,"_ before he hit the ground and his world went black.


	25. Eudemonia

_Eudemonia - 1. Happiness; well-being. 2. Aristotelianism. Happiness as the result of an active life governed by reason._

Rowena Ravenclaw was happy.

_(She was! Of course she was!)_

She was young, but not young enough to be insignificant, she was stunningly beautiful and, above all, she knew how to use her brains. She was witty. Wit beyond measure was man's greatest treasure so what more could she want?

_(Love. To be loved for herself and not for her skills.)_

But she had love. Didn't she? She had an attentive husband; a beautiful, caring daughter; an entire school keeping her busy and hanging off every pearl of her wisdom. What more could she want?

_(Passion. Tempestuous, unreasonable emotion. Him.)_


	26. Fugitive

_Fugitive - 1. Fleeting, transitory, elusive .2. Having taken flight, or run away. 3. Changing colour as a result of exposure to light and chemical substances present in the atmosphere, in other pigments, or in the medium. 4. Dealing with subjects of passing interest, as writings; ephemeral.5. Wandering, roving, or vagabond._

In a way, Harry supposed, it was always meant to come to this. Even that first fatal meeting that Halloween night, sixteen years ago, had been leading up to this; the moment when he, Harry James Potter, ceased to be the Boy-Who-Lived and became nothing but a fugitive, on the run from the darkest Lord Wizarding Britain had ever known.

He chanced a look at Ron and Hermione. A single glance passed between them. It was enough. They all knew it was time.

"Now," Hermione whispered. With quick, resolved nods, the three of them turned on the spot and Disapparated.


	27. Boon

_Boon - 1. Something to be thankful for; blessing; benefit. 2. Something that is asked; a favour sought._

No one ever knew, but Ariana saw the green flash of light as a blessing. It would have missed her, but she threw herself in its path.

As her eldest brother battled with his one-time friend, oblivious to the life ebbing away from his little sister, Ariana felt nothing but relief.

All her life, she'd been nothing but a burden. First to Father, then Mother, then Albus. Even Aberforth, who was always kind to her, had cared for her more out of duty than love.

Now, at last, with Magic's blessing, she could go; go somewhere she could be useful.


	28. Pyknic

_Pyknic - 1. Having a rounded build or body structure 2. A person of the pyknic type._

Pomona Sprout was well-liked at Hogwarts by nearly all the students. She was, after all, a true Hufflepuff and not only hard-working and loyal, but also fair and just in all her judgements.

Even her weight wasn't a problem. No one would have dreamed of teasing her about it. It was just a shame she liked wearing green so much.

Oh, everyone knew there was a reason – green didn't show the dirt of her work as much as pale blue or lilac would have done – but that didn't stop unnecessarily cruel or drunken students referring to her as Professor "Brussel Sprout"


	29. Grouse

_Grouse- 1. To grumble; complain. 2. A complaint._

Narcissa was sitting before the fire in the Common Room, trying to get warm after her walk back from Herbology, when an icy pair of hands clapped themselves over her eyes.

"Guess who, Cissy!"

"Bella! Get off, you're freezing!" Cissy whined, pulling away. Bella smirked.

"Honestly, Cissy. One might think you're not happy to see your dearest sister."

"Not when you're this cold, I'm not," Cissy retorted, though the way her eyes shone as her older sister slipped her arms around her waist and allowed her to rest her fair head back against her chest rendered her complaint a lie.


	30. Apercu

**Too long, but I simply couldn't cut this down.**

_Apercu - 1. A hasty glance; a glimpse. 2. An immediate estimate or judgment; understanding; insight. 3. An outline or summary._

It took Dumbledore little more than a glimpse and a few carefully placed spells to surmise what kind of magic Lily Potter had used to enable her son to turn aside the Killing Curse. She'd used the one thing the Dark Lord would never understand. Love.

And it was love that would _keep_ Harry safe. He would send him to the family most closely connected to his mother. Her blood ran in their veins just as much as it ran in his.

Besides, they knew nothing of magic. Living with them, he'd have an ordinary childhood.

Yes. Harry would go to the Dursleys. There was nowhere better for him.


	31. Xenophilia

_Xenophilia - An attraction to foreign peoples, cultures, or customs._

Ted had only been at Hogwarts a matter of days when he first laid eyes on the Black Sisters. They were just coming round the corner of the corridor, the eldest in the centre, a half-pace ahead. Her younger sisters hovered at her shoulders, looking utterly at ease with themselves. The three of them were in perfect unison with one another.

That was what first drew Ted to them. He couldn't understand how three people, even three sisters, could be so in tune with one another.

It turned out that he would never stop being fascinated with the Black Sisters.


	32. Reconnoitre

_Reconnoitre - 1. To make an inspection or observation. 2. To inspect, observe, or survey (the enemy, the enemy's strength or position, a region, etc.) in order to gain information for military purposes. 3. To examine or survey a region or area for engineering, geological, or other purposes._

Roger Davies watched the Beauxbatons students come spinning in, throwing themselves over and over in a series of complicated cartwheels and other gymnastics, obviously determined to impress.

He smirked. It looked impressive enough, if you didn't play Quidditch. Any one of his players were supple enough to do that. If that was the best Beauxbatons could do, then Hogwarts didn't need to worry.

But then the Durmstrang boys entered. They marched in in two absolutely arrow-straight lines, striking their truncheons on the floor in utterly perfect unison.

Roger couldn't help himself. He gulped. Perhaps Hogwarts needed to worry after all.


	33. Pleach

_Pleach - 1. To interweave branches or vines for a hedge or arbor. 2. To make or renew (a hedge, arbor, etc.) by such interweaving. 3. To braid (hair)._

The Christmas Narcissa turned seven, her mother braided her hair in a very complicated manner. Seven French braids curved round the crown of her head, only to be gathered together by one large tortoiseshell clasp. Beneath the clasp, Cissy's curls tumbled loose down her back.

Cygnus, Druella, Bellatrix, Andromeda. Orion, Walburga and Sirius. Seven Blacks; seven people worthy of Narcissa's affection. Seven braids. A braid for each person.

The symbolism wasn't empty. Oh no. Druella knew what she was doing. In weaving Narcissa's hair into that style, she was daring anyone to contradict her when she called Narcissa a Black.


	34. Obtuse

_Obtuse - 1. Not quick or alert in perception, feeling, or intellect. 2. Not sharp, acute, or pointed; blunt in form. 3. (Of a leaf, petal, etc.) rounded at the extremity. 4. Indistinctly felt or perceived, as pain or sound_

Cho liked Harry. Really. She did. After all, why wouldn't she? He was handsome enough. Average height, perhaps, but his eyes were such a lovely sparkling green and his unruly black hair always gave him a rugged, windswept appearance.

_(So different from Cedric's sleek handsomeness)_

He was pleasant enough too, despite his fame. Growing up in the Muggle world meant he'd turned out so… normal!

It was just a shame he couldn't see how mixed-up she was.

_(Cedric would have known. Cedric had always known)_

Yes, there was nothing wrong with Harry, Cho mused, except how very obtuse he was.


	35. Germinal

**Using an OC for this one, because…well, it works… merges with my upcoming Challenge Entry.**

_Germinal -1. Being in the earliest stage of development. 2. Of or pertaining to a germ or germs. 3. Of the nature of a germ or germ cell._

The child was scarcely beginning to germinate when Siofra realised she was pregnant. The Rosier in her saw to that. All the Rosier women had a sixth sense about whether or not they were carrying a child. In fact, very few of them ever visited a Healer or even used a charm to confirm their suspicions.

Siofra used a charm this time, though. She had to be certain. Everything depended upon it. Absolutely everything.

And when she turned out to be right, she'd never been more grateful for being a Rosier.


	36. Ensconce

_Ensconce - 1. To settle securely or snugly. 2. To cover or shelter; hide securely_

Helena Ravenclaw looked down at the diadem she was holding. It was her mother's and, just moments after seizing it and Apparating away, she was wondering why she'd taken it.

No she wasn't.

"_She deserved it. After everything; every time she made me feel unworthy. She deserved it."_

She had to hide it. Fast. Before her mother realised what she'd done.

Helena stuffed the diadem in the nearest cranny she could – a hollow tree – and then Apparated away, heart beating fast with terrified relief. She'd done it. No one would ever find the diadem now. Not here; not in Albania.


	37. Littoral

_Littoral - 1. Pertaining to the shore of a lake, sea, or ocean. 2. (On ocean shores) of or pertaining to the biogeographic region between the sublittoral zone and the high-water line and sometimes including the supralittoral zone above the high-water line. 3. Of or pertaining to the region of freshwater lake beds from the sublittoral zone up to and including damp areas on shore_

James and Sirius loved the lake. They loved diving into its icy depths in the midst of winter, courting hypothermia.

They loved relaxing beside it in the summer, when they could dabble their feet in the water and splash Remus playfully if he got too serious for their liking. He could never resist a good water fight.

What they really loved, though, was flying over it. They would laugh and holler, swooping down as low as they dared, performing loop-the-loops; teasing the Giant Squid as he tried to catch them in his tentacles. Yes, that was definitely best of all.


	38. Numen

_Numen - Divine power, especially one who inhabits a particular object._

Tom Marvolo Riddle wasn't divine. He knew that. But he was the greatest Wizard of his age. In fact, he was the greatest Wizard who'd ever lived; even greater than Merlin. The number of Horcruxes he'd managed to make stood testament to that. Six already and still counting.

He'd make one more. Then he'd have seven. Seven. The most powerful magical number. Fitting, he thought, given how great he himself was.

Great, but not divine. He had to admit that. However, if his followers wanted to revere him as a God, as a divinity, then that was fine by him.


	39. Obtest

_Obtest - 1. To supplicate earnestly; beseech. 2. To invoke as witness. 3. To protest. 4. To make supplication; beseech._

"Lily. I didn't mean it. All those years ago. You know I didn't mean it! Don't you?" Severus's voice trembled as he looked across at the irate young woman; the young woman he had loved ever since he had understood what love was.

She turned her back on him.

"Lily! Please!" He was begging now; begging as a Slytherin should never beg. But he couldn't help it. He needed her.

"It's too late. It's too late! I've married James! I've married James and I love him! I love him, Severus! Now leave me alone!"

With that, she was gone. Forever.


	40. Cicatrix

_Cicatrix - 1. New tissue that forms over a wound. 2. Botany. A scar left by a fallen leaf, seed, etc._

Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour had always been close. Despite the gap in their ages, they had always enjoyed one another's company.

_(When Gabrielle was little, she once called Fleur Maman by mistake)_

The Triwizard Tournament ruined that for them. Fleur's inability to save Gabrielle from the merpeople caused a rift between them. It burdened the elder with guilt and shattered the younger's trust.

_(A real Maman would rather have died than left her there to be rescued by someone else)_

Over time, they managed to throw off their shackles of insecurity. Their bond healed and renewed itself.

_(Sort of.)_


	41. Matrilineal

**Taken me ages to get this started again, but I thought I might as well have a bash...**

_Matrilineal- Inheriting or determining descent through the female line._

The Pureblood Society was a patriarchal one. It always had been. It always would be.

A father's name and approval meant everything. As did sons. They were the ones who could carry on the line into the next generation. Daughters meant nothing, or next to nothing. They were mere vessels to carry on a bloodline.

Sometimes, when he looked at his eldest daughter, Lord Cygnus Black regretted that this was the case. Bellatrix was such a firebrand, yet still so pure and loyal and….worthy. A perfect heir, if not for her gender. So yes, sometimes he regretted it.

Only sometimes.


	42. Spruik

_Spruik - To make or give a speech, especially extensively; spiel._

Dumbledore rose to his feet, sighing. He hated speechmaking. He was good at it and, as Headmaster, it was expected of him but he hated it. It made him feel too proud, too self-conscious.

And tonight, especially, he wanted to get it over with. He was ravenous and had a splitting headache.

He could see the students didn't want to listen to him either. They were fixing their eyes on him politely, but all they really wanted was food and bed.

"I would just like to say a few words before we begin….and here they are: Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment, Tweak!"


	43. Altiloquent

_Altiloquent - High-flown or pretentious language._

Gilderoy Lockhart hadn't always used such vibrant, flowing language. In fact, as a child, he'd been a late talker and limited himself to the shortest possible sentences because of how shy he was..

It was only when he was about twelve, just after he'd started Hogwarts that he realised how much fancy language could help.

It was his first visit home and he'd copied something one of his Professors had said. His mother stared at him in astonishment.

"I didn't know you knew that word, Gilderoy!"

He basked in her pride and promised himself he'd do anything to maintain it.


	44. Omphalos

**AN: Four Words too long, but I can't seem to cut this down. ;P**

_Omphalos - central point. 2. The navel; umbilicus. 3. Greek Antiquity. A stone in the temple of Apollo at Delphi thought to mark the centre of the earth._

At 11, Ron and Hermione were the centre of Harry's world. They were the first people to make friends with him, to look past their prejudice and/or the legend and see him for the person he really was.

When Harry was sixteen, the constant in his life changed. To Ginny. Her red hair and teasing confidence gave him the strength he needed to keep fighting.

At 27, Harry held his baby daughter in his arms and looked down upon her downy head. Her liquid brown eyes opened. With a jolt, Harry felt the focus of his world shift again. Shift on to her.


	45. Phatic

_Phatic - Denoting speech used to create an atmosphere of goodwill._

Susan Bones didn't really like Hermione Granger when they first met. The girl was too bossy, too fond of imparting the knowledge she'd gleaned from those precious books of hers. But, knowing it had to be hard for the Muggle-born, who'd never known of this world before, to adjust, she let her walk into the Great Hall alongside her, chattering excitedly about how the Great Hall's ceiling was bewitched to look like the sky outside.

Unknown to Susan, the Sorting Hat saw her. He noted her kindness. He noted it and realised that she would have to be a Hufflepuff.


	46. Pip

_Pip - 1. To peep or chirp. 2. (Of a young bird) to break out from the shell. 3. To crack or chip a hole through (the shell), as a young bird._

Luna loved all kinds of creatures. She always had. Growing up with her father, she'd had to. In fact, if you asked her what her favourite creature was, she'd probably have said Thestrals or Nargles.

But that was a lie. For all her oddities, Luna was just like any other little girl. She loved simple pleasures. Such as watching baby birds chip their way out of the eggs that were resting in the nests around her house.

So why did she lie? That was simple.

So many people thought her odd that, by now, she was afraid to be ordinary.


	47. Gambit

_Gambit - 1. A remark made to open or redirect a conversation. 2. Chess. An opening in which a player seeks to obtain some advantage by sacrificing a pawn or piece. 3. Any maneuver by which one seeks to gain an advantage._

Draco Malfoy never liked Harry Potter. Not even when he extended his hand to him before the Sorting. After all, they'd already clashed on the train. Draco had ended up looking pretty stupid. He hated people who made him look stupid.

But he knew his father would be proud if he wrote to say that he'd made friends with Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. He so wanted his father to be proud of him, so he swallowed his pique and extended his hand.

Harry brushed it off as though he were an irritating fly.

Their enmity was sealed there and then.


	48. Belabour

_Belabour - 1. To explain, worry about, or work more than is necessary. 2. To assail persistently, as with scorn or ridicule. 3. To beat vigorously; ply with heavy blows. 4. Obsolete. To labour at._

Mrs Granger worried about Hermione. It wasn't just how lonely she was, but how much she loved schoolwork. She was miles ahead of all the others in her class – the teachers had to get lessons from the nearby Secondary School for her – yet she wouldn't take a break. She laboured constantly, soaking up knowledge like a sponge.

That was before Hogwarts. After Hogwarts, Hermione became more and more withdrawn from her parents. The world of magic had cast its spell over her and sucked her in. Forever.

Yes. Mrs Granger had plenty to worry about when it came to Hermione.


	49. Demiurge

_Demiurge - __1. Philosophy. A. Platonism. The artificer of the world. B. (In the Gnostic and certain other systems) a supernatural being imagined as creating or fashioning the world in subordination to the Supreme Being, and sometimes regarded as the originator of evil. 2. (In many states of ancient Greece) a public official or magistrate_.

Penelope Clearwater loved being Head Girl. As the eldest of seven sisters, she sometimes wondered if she'd been born with a sense of responsibility on her young shoulders.

But that didn't matter. She relished it. And, though she liked to think of herself as too sensible to be as arrogant as some of the Slytherins, that didn't mean she didn't like the fact that she could sail through the corridors, bag on her shoulder, and have the rest of the students clear a path for her like the Red Sea parted for Moses.

Yes. Penelope definitely liked being Head Girl.


	50. Ingeminate

_Ingeminate - __To repeat; reiterate._

Remus Lupin hated what he was. He hated the endless cycle of pain, violence and uncontrollable brutality that his 'furry problem' subjected him to month after month after month. Even with James and Peter and Sirius keeping him company in their animal forms, he hated it. It wasn't the loneliness anymore, but rather the fact that he wasn't in control of his own body; the shudders of wild strength that passed through him as he changed.

The Wolfsbane Potion did more than just keep him a harmless wolf. It gave him back his self-control. It gave him back his dignity.


	51. Betide

_Betide - 1. To happen to; come to; befall. 2. To happen; come to pass._

Albus Dumbledore looked over his desk at the stern-faced witch who sat opposite him, sighing.

"Well. It's happened. Tom, or Lord Voldemort, as he prefers to be called, is back."

"You really believe that, Albus?" Minerva McGonagall rarely contradicted her colleague, but just now she so desperately wanted him to be wrong that she couldn't help herself, "You really believe Potter? He's just a boy."

"Harry has no reason to lie about this, Minerva. And anyway, we always knew that this would come to pass. Yes, I'm afraid I do. I'm afraid we must call the Order together once more."


	52. Ventose

_Too long, I know, but I can't seem to shorten it any more… _

_Ventose - Given to empty talk; windy._

Ernie MacMillan had always loved talking. That had been clear from the very first day he opened his mouth.

No one realised that underneath his complicated language hid a very insecure little boy. Being the youngest of five and the baby of the family by quite a few years, he'd never quite felt like he measured up.

Even Hogwarts didn't help. After all, his sisters had all been Prefects - Joanna had been Head Girl - and Albert had been Hufflepuff's best-ever Keeper.

Words became his way of shutting out the world around him. If anyone ever scorned him for it, then he tried to pretend he didn't hear them. Or that he didn't care.


	53. Varlet

**Again, too long, but I'm proud of this one anyway. **

_Varlet - 1. A knavish person; rascal. 2. A. An attendant or servant. B. A page who serves a knight_

"Evans - "

Lily didn't even look up, "No, Potter! For the last time, I will **not** go out with you!"

A throaty chuckle sounded in her ear, "It's not James. It's me."

"Oh." Lily tilted her head up to brush her boyfriend's lips with her own, "Sorry about that."

"Nah, it's all right. Even I have to admit James can be an idiot about you."

"So why don't we just tell him we're together?"

"Because it would break his heart. The Marauders can't afford that. We need him to be a **fun** idiot, at the very least."

Lily giggled, "Go on then. Usual place. I'll just finish this essay and then I'll join you."

Turning back to her homework, she couldn't suppress a smile. Sirius Black might be a rascal, but at least he was **her** rascal.


	54. Haimish

_Haimish- Homey; cosy and unpretentious._

Hannah Abbot loved the Hufflepuff Common Room. Admittedly, it wasn't the grandest room in the castle, being tucked away behind the kitchens. Nonetheless, it was warm and cosy, which was just what one needed in the winter.

It was filled with her favourite people, too. She loved spending time with Susan and the others, reading, playing chess or even just curling up in front of the fire.

_(Not to mention that if she was ever hungry, the kitchens was the perfect place to find a midnight snack)_

Oh yes, Hannah had plenty of reasons to love the Hufflepuff Common Room.


	55. Armamentarium

**Three Words too long, but I need every one of them…**

_Armamentarium - 1.A fruitful source of devices or materials available or used for an undertaking.2. The aggregate of equipment, methods, and techniques available to one for carrying out one's duties._

Barty Crouch Junior had any number of methods of torture or interrogation available to him. The Imperius Curse, the Cruciatus Curse and Veritaserum among them.

But he could never see the point. What was the use of repeated torture? Either the victim would refuse to tell him anything, or they'd conjure up some cock-and-bull story. Anything to stop the pain.

And you could only do it a certain amount. Otherwise they became useless. Bellatrix had proved that with the Longbottoms.

What Barty found most useful was keeping his opponents drugged; stealing their genes for Polyjuice Potion. Masquerading as the enemy yielded untold secrets.


	56. Bosh

_Bosh - Absurd or foolish talk; nonsense._

"Harry fancies you," Demelza murmured to Ginny, as they Scourgified their robes, stuffed them back into the lockers in the changing rooms and shouldered their brooms, preparing to go to supper. Ginny scoffed.

"No way! "

"Yes he does! Didn't you see the way he looked at you when you said someone had had to call Ron a prat? He was trying not to laugh!"

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean he fancies me. I'm a little sister to him, that's all."

"But…"

"Oh, stop talking nonsense. I'll never have Harry! He's made that clear enough. Now, come on, I'm starving!"


	57. Levigate

_Levigate - 1. To rub, grind, or reduce to a fine powder. 2. Chemistry. To make a homogeneous mixture of, as gels. 3. Botany. Having a smooth, glossy surface; glabrous_

Severus loved Potions. He loved smelling the newly-created blends and the sound of gently bubbling cauldrons. Most of all, though, he loved preparing the ingredients.

Smoothing, chopping, grinding, mixing…they kept his hands busy, and as long as his hands were busy, so too was his mind. He liked it best that way.

As long as his mind was busy, then he couldn't think about anything else.

He didn't have to think about the tense silences, the challenging whispers, the accusatory stares that suddenly erupted into furious shouting matches which went on for days.

_(He didn't have to think about them.)_


	58. Histrionics

_Histrionics - or speech for effect, as insincere or exaggerated expression of an emotion. 2. Dramatic representation; theatricals; acting._

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named can't be back! It's impossible. Harry Potter survived the Killing Curse and it rebounded upon him. No one would survive that!"

"Of course they wouldn't, Minister. Of course it's impossible. Potter's just a hysterical little boy looking for attention," Lucius soothed, deftly hiding his triumph.

Looking at him, no one would have guessed at it. Nor would they have guessed that he was barely withholding his distaste at Fudge's hysterical reaction to Potter's declaration that Lord Voldemort had returned.

And, if he winced and clutched his left arm slightly as he left Fudge, then he hid that well too.


	59. Apoplectic

_Apoplectic - 1. Intense enough to threaten or cause a stroke. or pertaining to apoplexy.3. Having or inclined to apoplexy. 4. A person having or predisposed to apoplexy._

Molly Weasley was chopping busily in her kitchen, humming merrily to herself. Unbeknown to her, she was being watched.

Watched by two bright pairs of eyes. f that lit up as she reached for what appeared to be her wand.

"Wait for it, George," One whispered to the other, "She's going to go ballistic. 3…2…1…!"

Sure enough, Molly's screams of rage as the wand in her hand transfigured itself into a large rubber mouse with a deafening pop were loud enough to be heard a mile away.

The two figures by the door high-fived one another and scampered away, laughing.


	60. Larrup

_Larrup - To beat or thrash._

When Barty Crouch, came around the corner in his disguise as Alastor Moody and found Draco Malfoy picking on Potter and his friends, he grimaced.

_"Spoilt Brat. Just because his father was too cowardly to stand up for his ideals and kept his money instead, he thinks he can rule the world. He deserves a good hiding."_

Unfortunately, physical punishment was against the rules at Hogwarts. Or at least…it was for students.

No one said anything about animals.

With a silent flick of his wrist, he transfigured the strutting boy into a ferret. Time to teach him a valuable lesson.


	61. Natch

_Natch - Of course; naturally_

Astoria Malfoy _nee_ Greengrass overheard Ronald Weasley reminding his daughter to hate her son; to beat him in every test. She smirked to herself. Was he really that dumb?

Did he really not know that the surest way to drive a teenage girl into a boy's arms was to make him forbidden fruit?

She knew. Daphne had made sure she knew Draco was off-limits and look how they'd ended up. She wouldn't be surprised if Rose and Scorpius were the same.

Sure enough, later that year, Scorpius wrote to say that he was dating the Weasley girl. Astoria smirked again.


	62. Pillory

_Pillory - 1. To expose to public derision, ridicule, or abuse. 2. To set in the pillory._

Peeves the Poltergeist was used to being a nuisance. He knew the teachers hated him when he disturbed their lessons or free time, especially when a new Head had just taken over; when everyone was getting used to the shift in power.

So when Professor McGonagall walked past him as he was determinedly loosening a chandelier and muttered, "It unscrews the other way, Peeves," he couldn't help but glance down in surprise.

She caught his eye and winked.

It was then that Peeves realised just how bad the Umbridge woman was. Even the teachers were determined to see her pilloried.


	63. Velleity

_Velleity- 1. Volition in its weakest form. 2. A mere wish, unaccompanied by an effort to obtain it._

The bridal march had struck up. Lily Evans was floating down the aisle, escorted by her father. Sirius, the best man, glanced over his shoulder to watch her.

Their eyes met. For an instant, he felt a stab of regret. He should have fought for her; should have made it clearer that he adored her; would die for her. He should have asked her to marry him.

But then she glanced past him to James. Her face lit up. And he knew it wouldn't have made any difference. Without a word, he let her go past him to marry James.


	64. Gull

_Gull - 1. To deceive, trick, or cheat. 2. A person who is easily deceived or cheated; dupe._

Fred and George loved playing tricks on their mother. All right, they didn't like the fact that she always knew it was them, or that she punished them quite severely when her patience ran out, but they liked tricking her.

After all, with seven kids in the house, she didn't have time to study the fake wands and trick sweets that they littered the house with. She was always too busy trying to be everywhere at once, like a captain of a storm-tossed ship.

It was her inner perfectionist that made her ideal for being the butt of their jokes.


	65. Crucible

**This is far too long, but the idea hit me and I couldn't do anything about it.**

_Crucible - 1. A severe, searching test or trial. 2. A container of metal or refractory material employed for heating substances to high temperatures. 3. Metallurgy. A hollow area at the bottom of a furnace in which the metal collects._

"Are you truly willing to serve me, Miss Black?" The Dark Lord peered searchingly at Bellatrix, who nodded eagerly.

"I am, my Lord."

"Very well. Then there is but one more test that you must endure. Stay still."

The Dark Lord placed his hand on Bella's cheek, sending her into the highest realms of delight. A few moments later, he withdrew. Waving his wand wordlessly, he summoned a Muggle into the room. A young Muggle girl of about sixteen, with long black hair and grey-blue eyes.

"Kill her, Miss Black."

"With pleasure, my Lord!"

Bella whipped out her wand and directed it at the filth's heart, already preparing to form the curse with her lips...

"Wait!"

Puzzled, Bella lowered her wand. The Dark Lord waved his. The young girl began to change. Her long black hair lightened to a golden-brown. The distance between her narrowly-spaced grey-blue eyes widened and the orbs themselves darkened to a soft hazel.

The girl raised her and Andromeda Black looked back at Bella.

"Kill her, Miss Black," the Dark Lord repeated.

Bella raised her wand and tried to form the curse. She tried, she really did. But she just couldn't do it. She couldn't kill a girl the mirror image of her sister.

"My Lord…."

"You said you were willing to serve me, Miss Black. Kill her." His voice was icy. Tears spurted in Bella's eyes. Her hand trembled. She briefly considered flight.

The girl would probably have survived if she'd kept her mouth shut. But she didn't.

"Bella. Bella, please."

The voice was nothing like Meda's. Meda wouldn't have begged like that. Meda was a Black and Blacks didn't beg. Anger surged through the older girl.

"You're not Meda! You're not Meda and you're not my sister! You're not my sister and you certainly don't call me Bella. It's Miss Black to you!"

"Miss Bl-"

The girl got no further. Bella cut her off with a flash of green light.

"Avada Kedavra!"


	66. Delmulcent

_Demulcent- 1. Soothing or mollifying, as a medicinal substance. 2. A demulcent substance or agent, often mucilaginous, as for soothing or protecting an irritated mucous membrane_.

The child screamed hysterically, thrashing in her cradle. Her hair, like the rest of her, was puce with distress. Andromeda picked up her daughter, trying to soothe the fractious infant.

To no avail. Nymphadora paused to draw breath, then continued bawling. Andromeda turned to her visitor.

"I'm sorry, Poppy. She's teething. We've had no peace for days."

The older woman's face cleared. "Why didn't you say so?"

She Disapparated and was soon back carrying a tiny jar.

Crooning softly, she spread the contents on Nymphadora's gums and was rewarded with the first gummy smile in days. Andromeda sighed with relief.


	67. Tardigrade

_Tardigrade - 1. Slow in pace or movement. 2. Belonging or pertaining to the phylum Tardigrada. 3. Also called bear animalcule, water bear. Any microscopic, chiefly herbivorous invertebrate of the phylum Tardigrada, living in water, on mosses, lichens, etc._

Everyone thought that the four prizes for the Triwizard Champions were sound asleep under the water. Everyone thought they were fast asleep in the security of the air-bubble that Dumbledore had ordered crafted under the lake.

No one realised that Gabrielle Delacour wasn't. Oh, she was safe in the air bubble, all right, but she wasn't asleep. She couldn't be charmed to sleep. Ever. Her Veela magic manifested itself by making that impossible.

So Gabrielle wasn't asleep. She was just pretending, watching the slow water drifting past her through half-closed eyes and waiting for Fleur to come and get her.


	68. Litotes

_Litotes - Understatement, especially that in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary, as in "not bad at all."_

"Admit it, Astoria. You like Draco Malfoy, don't you?"

Astoria shrugged, "He's all right, I suppose. He's a little arrogant though."

_(No, he's not. He's just self-confident. Self-confident as befits a Malfoy. Self-confident enough to make him worthy of a Greengrass)_

"Has he asked you out?"

"Not yet."

(_Not that you need to know about)_

Teresa glanced over her shoulder to where the older boy was sitting. "Do you think he's a good kisser, Tora?"

"Passable, I should think. Not that I would know."

_(Yes I do. He's_ _the best. The best kisser in the whole of the Wizarding World)_


	69. Fiducial

_Fiducial- 1. Based on or having trust: fiducial dependence upon God. 2. Accepted as a fixed basis of reference or comparison: a fiducial point; a fiducial temperature._

"Katie."

Katie started. She swung round.

"Oliver. I thought you'd gone."

"Yeah. Well, I was on my way out, but I wanted to say… I know – I mean – well, win or lose tomorrow, it won't change anything. I promise."

"I know it won't. I trust you."

"Good. Because I trust you, Katherine Bell. Angelina will probably get the captaincy when I leave, but it's you I trust to keep her on an even keel; to keep Gryffindor winning."

Katie nodded, "You can count on me."

"Win or lose?"

"Win or lose, " Katie promised, leaning up to kiss his cheek.


	70. Hematic

**Too long, but I was determined to write this somehow. And yes, I do picture Bella as being a very fussy, colicky baby…**

_Hematic - or pertaining to blood; hemic. on the blood, as a medicine. 3. Hematinic._

Druella knew she should love her daughter. After all, they shared the same blood. As a Pureblood, all Druella had ever been taught was the importance of blood.

But Bellatrix was impossible to love. Impossible. How could anyone love a child who screamed so much?

For scream Bellatrix did. Incessantly. She screamed when she was in her cradle. She screamed when she was being rocked by the governess and she screamed whenever Druella tried to hold her. In fact, she seemed to scream even more when her mother was around. Her father was the only one who could quiet her.

One night, after watching Cygnus soothing their fractious daughter so easily, Druella's patience snapped. Cygnus gave that insufferable brat more love and attention than he had ever given her.

From then on, Druella never even tried to love her eldest daughter. She treated her with the respect that her blood status demanded, but she never once tried to love her.


	71. Versicolour

_Versicolour - 1. Changeable in colour: versicolour skies. 2. Of various colours; parti-coloured: a versicolour flower arrangement._

Teddy Lupin loved his hair. True, when he was younger, it had driven him mad that it changed without warning, making him look completely different.

But that was before he'd learnt to control his magic. Now that he had – now that he was eleven and Grandma Andromeda had taught him how to keep his hair the way he wanted it - he loved it.

He loved being able to change his hair to fit his emotions. He loved being able to change his appearance to keep out of trouble. Most of all, though, he loved being multi-coloured.

Multi-coloured like his mother.


	72. Splendiferous

_Splendiferous - Magnificent; fine._

Nearly Headless Nick, or rather Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, the resident Gryffindor Ghost, watched the new First Years pile their plates high with steaming food. He whimpered slightly. It wasn't that he needed the food; he hadn't needed food in nearly 350 years, but sometimes, the luxuries they were allowed at the First Night Feast made his now non-existent stomach rumble in painful anticipation.

"That does look good," he murmured mournfully. One of the boys seated opposite him looked up and grinned

"It's better than good, Sir!" he exclaimed through a mouthful of golden, crispy toad-in-the-hole. "It's splendiferous!"


	73. Canonise

_Canonize - __**1.**__ To glorify and honour. __**2.**__ Ecclesiastical. To place in the canon of saints. __**3.**__ To consider or treat as sacrosanct or holy._

Bellatrix snorted as her Headmaster, Dumbledore, rose to his feet and the rest of the school fell respectfully silent.

"Honestly. Just because he defeated Grindelwald, everyone honours him as though he's Merlin."

"Ask Aconite for the Password and let's get out of here," Andromeda hissed, "We've had our food and we know where our beds are. We don't need to wait for this Mudblood-lover's permission."

Bella nodded, half-rising. However, when she caught sight of her Headmaster's twinkling eyes watching her, she sank back into her seat, shaking her head slightly at Andromeda. Even Bellatrix Black couldn't quite defy Albus Dumbledore.


	74. Howdah

_Howdah - (In the East Indies) a seat or platform for one or more persons, commonly with a railing and a canopy, placed on the back of an elephant._

Bill Weasley was laughing and joking with his brothers and sisters when a strange trumpeting reached their ears.

"What's that?" Ginny asked, pulling eagerly on Bill's sleeve like the little girl he still believed she was.

"That'll be the Princess Rosakohana, Ginny," he answered, trying not to let his voice tremble and ruin the surprise, "She often comes down and visits, since we're working on her ancestor's tombs."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the Princess came into view. She rode up to them and then called out in Aramaic for her driver to stop. She bent and held out a hand to Ginny.

"Would you like to ride with me?"

Ginny's answering smile was worth everything Bill had earned in the past year and more.


	75. Erinaceous

**Have decided to get this to 100 chapters and then call it a day; at least for the moment… I'm running out of inspiration…**

_Erinaceous - Of the hedgehog kind or family._

When Luna was seven, her mother gave her a pet. But it wasn't the normal owl or cat or dog you might get any other seven year old witch. Oh no. It was a baby hedgehog.

When she was asked why, the woman's answer was always the same, "Cats and dogs are too ordinary for my Luna. Hedgehogs, on the other hand, are just that little bit different. Just that little bit more like my Luna."


	76. Effervescent

Effervescent - **1.** High-spirited; vivacious; lively. **2.** Effervescing; bubbling.

When Tonks was a baby, she was fussy, wriggly, noisy. All the things a new mother wishes her child wasn't. Especially a new mother who used to be waited on hand and foot.

But as she grew older and the fussing stopped, because she could finally move around and explore all the things that caught her attention, Tonks changed. She turned into the happiest, bubbliest toddler that anyone could wish for.

She changed and Andromeda changed with her. She could finally enjoy her daughter. She could finally understand what people meant when they talked about the joy of motherhood.


	77. Compotation

_Compotation - An act or instance of drinking or tippling together._

"Come on, Percy. Even you can't be so serious as to not enjoy a quick drink. Just the one. Go on."

"We've got exams, Penny, Prefect Duties, an example to set. We can't…"

"It's New Year's Eve and we're almost seventeen. Besides, we're not Head Boy and Girl yet. We don't have to be quite so responsible. Not this year."

Penelope Clearwater, giggling breathily, wrapped herself around Percy in a way that was most uncharacteristic of her.

"Just the one," she crooned, "For me?"

And Percy, though he knew he'd regret it in the morning, couldn't resist. Raising the Firewhiskey to his lips, he tipped his head back.


	78. Kowtow

_Kowtow - 1. To act in an obsequious manner; show servile deference. __**2.**__ To touch the forehead to the ground while kneeling, as an act of worship, reverence, apology, etc., especially in former Chinese custom. __**3.**__ The act of kowtowing._

Bellatrix always swore she'd never kowtow to anyone. It was something only Muggle Filth did. They always kowtowed to her father when he went out punishing them for some slur on the Black Family Honour.

They did it to her, as well, whenever she accompanied him. Which she often did, for it was her duty as the eldest daughter to be seen on her father's arm.

So no. Bellatrix Black did not kowtow. To anybody.

Until she met the Dark Lord.

He turned as she entered. His eyes raked her lithe form. The air changed. Bellatrix's knees buckled.

"My Lord."


	79. Trachle

**Too long, but I couldn't resist writing this – Baby Bella is so much fun!**

_Trachle__ - __**1. **__An exhausting effort, especially walking or working. __**2. **__An exhausted or bedraggled person .__**3. **__To fatigue; tire; wear out. __**4.**__To bedraggle._

The infant Bellatrix Black was an exhausting child. All her nurses agreed on that. When she was a baby, she didn't cry, she howled. Howled for the attention she would never deserve by virtue of her gender. It was impossible to soothe her.

When she was a toddler, she didn't learn to walk; she learned to run. Learned to run straight into everything she shouldn't. It was impossible to keep her out of trouble.

And that was before she could do magic.

When she did; when, flailing out in anger as her nurse fought to take her back up the nursery, she managed to shatter the crystal glasses the house elves had set out for her parents' dinner with the Selwyns and Boles that night, their hearts sank. She would be even more of a handful now.


	80. Abdicate

**I don't think I'll ever get to 100 with these, and Abdicate seems like a fitting word to end it on, so here you go. I now declare this complete...**

_Abdicate - __**1. **__To give up or renounce (authority, duties, an office, etc.), especially in a voluntary, public, or formal manner.__** 2. **__To renounce or relinquish a throne, right, power, claim, responsibility, or the like, especially in a formal manner._

Fudge had never wanted the job of Minister. He'd always thought Dumbledore would have done a better job. But Dumbledore, drat him, had refused the office and so it had fallen to Fudge. And he'd served the people as best he could. Really. But he'd always known he was their second choice; that he'd never had their loyalty the way Dumbledore would have done.

And without that loyalty, he knew he could never fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as effectively as he ought to.

So it came as a relief when the public forced him to abdicate and installed Scrimgeour in his place.


End file.
